Should you join a camera club?

Should you join a camera club?

In short yes!

On our recent club trip, there was a discussion about defining beginners and in my view we are all mostly still beginners as we are constantly learning new things and some peoples skills in photography maybe higher in let’s say processing but poor in judging the correct light while another can get perfect light but are poor at processing. This is where being in a group of people with different abilities and skills is beneficial as you can learn from each other and share tips and tricks.

Before I got into photography properly I always viewed camera clubs as a bunch of retired people who had loads of spare time to fill and had huge amounts of savings because photography was that expensive…. In the past that was maybe true but since joining a couple of year ago I couldn’t have been more wrong. Because photography is that accessible now and doesn’t need lots of expensive equipment anybody can really do it of people of all ages are getting into it and producing some fantastic results… even with phone cameras! But for me, like anything you want to learn and get good at there is nothing more valuable ten learning from someone who is an old hand at it so what better way to learn than talking to those long running members of a club?

In the 2 years I have been a member of Ashington Camera Club I have learnt far more than since I first picked a camera up many years ago, only through asking questions to other members and entering competitions and listening to the feedback. I remember one occasion when I first joined and I was using my camera on auto as always. I was standing next to the club chairman and his photos were coming out much better than mine! I asked him how his colours were coming out better than mine? He asked me what ISO and aperture setting I had the camera on and my reply was…. what are those?

At our club, we have a full program throughout the year, including the summer when many other clubs shut because there are no competitions on. We have a group that beginners can attend that goes into a separate room, I went in once but it wasn’t for me as I found learning about processing phots was easier for me while I dealt with camera settings while I’m on the go but others work differently so our club tries their best to cater for all levels. As well as the club nights, we also have club outings once a month. This is a great chance for all members to get together and go somewhere they wouldn’t normally get to go. Personally, for me the club trips are the best way to learn because you could have someone who has just picked a camera up having a chat or taking photos with a photographer who has years of experience and the knowledge shared from that is better than any book or tutorial.

Not only do we have fantastic trips we also have guest speakers come in, we have had some big famous names but also people who are just good at what they do, listening to people with passion for what they do inspires you to grab your camera and have a go yourself! Demo nights and model nights are also a bonus as it gives you a chance to use and experiment with different types of equipment.

Looking through my photos before I joined the club they were all basically the same, missing colour, hardly any detail, blown out skies but now if you look at any of my sites you can see decent progress in the quality and that is only possible through the help I have received, also before joining I never printed any of my photos off, which was a mistake. I started printing photos off for competitions and the difference the print makes to seeing it on the screen makes it all that better, I learnt how to mount the photo and give it the correct border so you can show your creation at its finest… before this I had Facebook and Instagram as a reference to go off…. A print is so much better!

For me the key part of why our camera club works so well is because everyone treats each other as equal, no one thinks they are better than others, everyone supports each other... competitions are open and because photography is subjective (although in a judge’s score it shouldn’t be) it means that beginners (and it has happened) can place higher than say maybe a professional.

What I would love to see though is more of the younger generation start coming to clubs. I have seen some amazing work on social media and in our club we have a young lady who is placing well above the adults in competitions, I’ve got an idea to see if we can make it more appealing to the younger generation but will have to wait to see if it can be done… fingers crossed!

So.. in my view and from my experience, if you are interested in photography…… join your local camera club! The pros far outweigh the cons... the only way we can get better is by mixing with others of differing abilities not cut ourselves off and hope for the best. Most towns have them and if not… well you will always be welcome at ours!

If you would like to come along to Ashington Camera Club then we meet Thursday evenings at St. Aidan’s parish hall, Station road, Ashington, NE63 8AD. Starts at 1930 until 2100 but members are asked to get there for 1900.

Thank you for reading.